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Domestic Violence and the Workplace – Employee, Employer and Union Resources | 0

Domestic Violence Workplace Rights and Entitlements Project

Domestic Violence and the Workplace Employee, Employer and Union Resources

A project of the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse (ADFVC), funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2011 For more information about this project and to enquire about workplace training contact: Ludo McFerran: (02) 9385 1806; 0423 231 058; [email protected] Robyn Dale: (03) 9663 4555; 0414 706 148; [email protected]

This package contains a range of resources to support an effective response to domestic violence as it affects the workplace. The package has been developed by the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse in collaboration with unions and employers across Australia. International research and best practice have been used to inform the templates, guides and factsheets enclosed. These resources are intended as a guide, providing suggestions for those wishing to develop and enhance their workplace response to domestic violence in the interests of safety, productivity and employment sustainability.





WORKPLACE GUIDEDomestic violence safety planning

Developing an effective safety plan

Your domestic violence policy should emphasise safety, flexibility and options for those who are abused. In particular it should include the development of a safety plan for the workplace. A domestic violence safety plan enhances general safe at work strategies, but targets specific risk factors associated with domestic violence.

This guide contains a number of ideas to help create a safety plan. They are drawn from the experience of a range different workplaces. Not all of them will be necessary in your workplace, and some may already exist as part of your workplace safety protocols in relation to dealing with the public, requiring only minor modification.

The most effective workplace domestic violence safety plan will have the full support of staff. You can involve workers in developing the plan through the short training sessions offered as part of this information package. This will enhance the acceptability and efficiency of any necessary general monitoring or surveillance measures. Any individual measures must be developed with the employee concerned, with their full informed consent.

STEP 1: Assess the nature of the workplace Every work place is different. Safety plans needs

to reflect the general safety measures that can be

introduced as well as the specific plans tailored

to the needs of individual staff who disclose,

according to the nature of the workplace and

the work patterns of individuals (e.g. do rosters

expose staff to potentially hazardous times such

as late at night, early in the morning or at very

quiet times of day? Do staff work alone, offsite, or

beyond mobile range?).

STEP 2: Assess the workplace for security Is public access to the workplace restricted? Are

there security guards onsite? Are employees

working in remote or isolated locations within the

building? Is car parking safe?

Possible actions to support safety:n Provide locked entries/exits.

n Use cards or keys to access worker-only areas.

n Use reception desks and a sign-in procedure.

n Install door chimes or other means to notify

workers when someone enters the workplace.

Install personal or fixed alarms (either audible

or silent alarms).

n Install desk or wall panic buttons.

n Accompany non-workers in restricted areas.

n Use or video surveillance, posting signs to

inform people of the surveillance.

n Provide regular security patrols and regular

alarm checks.

n Train staff how to question strangers or

intruders about the appropriateness of their

presence in a non-confrontational manner.

n Implement a system for warning workers of

intruders in the workplace.

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n Have more than one person working in an area

where there might be open contact with the

public or clients.

n Provide safe parking spaces (well-lit and close

to the main entrance).

n Ensure clear sightlines (look at landscaping,

layout, and bushes).

STEP 3: When an employee disclosesA tailored plan to protect the worker needs to be

developed with the worker’s consent and reflect

their work patterns. Does the worker work at times

of greater vulnerability to harassment or attack?

Does the worker work alone or offsite? Is the

worker within mobile range? How do they get to

and from work? Note that women are exposed to a higher risk of domestic violence during pregnancy and post-separation.

Possible actions to support safety:n Provide mobiles phones (pre-programmed to

call an emergency number), walkie talkies, or

other communication or monitoring devices.

n Use GPS tracking devices or other locating

devices.

n Designate a person to monitor contact with

workers and follow up if contact is lost.

n Shorten or vary the start and finish times for the

protected worker.

n For workers without a car, provide a company

car or at minimum organise taxi pick and drop

off to home.

n For workers with a car, ensure someone escorts

them to their parking spot when they leave the

premises

n Alert workers to personal safety measures such

as walking around their vehicle and checking

the back seat for intruders before unlocking the

door to get in, maintaining a full tank or filling up

with petrol at well-lit, and busy petrol stations.

n Use an internal code word or words known to

all staff to indicate that help is needed.

• Relocatetheprotectedworkertoamoresecure

area of the workplace.

• Arrangeforotherstafftosupporttheworkerat

court in paid time.

STEP 4: Assess with the vulnerable staff member, the use of appropriate screening measures The most common form of domestic violence

that staff report experiencing at work is abusive

phone calls. How can you prevent perpetrators

gaining access to the vulnerable staff member?

How can this be done without affecting the

work performance of the worker? Can you

collect evidence of stalking and harassment so

that police can follow up concerns? Is there a

domestic violence protection order in place so

that you can report breaches? Are you aware of

escalating risk?

Possible actions to support safety:n Develop an email and phone policy. See the

Domestic Violence Safety Plan: Responding to

Abusive Calls and Emails section of this package.

n Ascertain if the protected employee has an

protection order and if the conditions include

‘not to enter, remain or access any premises the

protected person occupies or works in’ and ‘not to

contact’.

n Screen and track telephone calls, record voicemail

where necessary.

n Provide evidence of abusive communications

to the police and to the abuser’s employer if

emanating from their workplace.

n Instruct and train all staff on how not to reveal

information to others such as location and

movements of the protected worker.

n Develop a disciplinary policy to address cases

where sensitive information is provided that

endangers the safety of the protected worker.

Domestic Violence and the Workplace – Employee, Employer and Union Resources | Page 12









STEP 6: Assess the need for a safe area This is a place where someone under threat

can retreat to escape the violence. It may be a

room, an enclosed outdoor area or an adjoining

business.

Possible action to support safety:n Create a safe room or space that has an easily

accessible entry.

n Ensure the space has a lock that can be

used from the inside but which can also be

accessed by security from the outside, in an

emergency.

n Include a means of summoning immediate

assistance from within the space, such as a

call button that goes directly to the police or a

pre-programmed mobile phone.

STEP 5: Assess the capacity of the workplace to respond to emergencies Are you prepared for a crisis situation?

Possible actions to support safety:n Strongly encourage domestic violence

protection orders to include the workplace as a

prohibited location for the abuser.

n Provide security staff with a photo of the

abusive person and a copy of the order.

n Post a photo of the abusive person on a staff

noticeboard to alert colleagues.

n Institute a clear reporting procedure for

incidents of violence or threats.

n Have an emergency plan with procedures for

contacting the police when workers observe

threatening behaviour.

n Outline the steps the workplace has committed

to undertake once aware of an incident/

potential incident, and how the workplace

will record incidents and disclose information

on a ‘need to know’ basis in order to protect

confidentiality while ensuring worker safety.

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